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1 Reproduced from A Regional Economic History of Thailand, by Porphant Ouyyanont (Singapore: ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute, 2017). This version was obtained electronically direct from the publisher on condition that copyright is not infringed. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the prior permission of ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute. E-book is available at <

2 The ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute (formerly Institute of Southeast Asian Studies) is an autonomous organization established in It is a regional centre dedicated to the study of socio-political, security, and economic trends and developments in Southeast Asia and its wider geostrategic and economic environment. The Institute s research programmes are grouped under Regional Economic Studies (RES), Regional Strategic and Political Studies (RSPS), and Regional Social and Cultural Studies (RSCS). The Institute is also home to the ASEAN Studies Centre (ASC), the Nalanda-Sriwijaya Centre (NSC) and the Singapore APEC Study Centre. ISEAS Publishing, an established academic press, has issued more than 2,000 books and journals. It is the largest scholarly publisher of research about Southeast Asia from within the region. ISEAS Publications works with many other academic and trade publishers and distributors to disseminate important research and analyses from and about Southeast Asia to the rest of the world. 00 HistoryofThai-PrelimsIT-9P.indd 2

4 2017 ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute, Singapore All rights reserved. Published by arrangement with Chulalongkorn University Press, Thailand. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission from ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute. First published in Thai language by Chulalongkorn University Press under the title by in Translated with the kind permission of Chulalongkorn University Press The responsibility for facts and opinions in this publication rests exclusively with the author and his interpretation does not necessarily reflect the views or the policy of the publishers or their supporters. ISEAS Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data Porphant Ouyyanont. A Regional Economic History of Thailand. 1. Economic history. 2. Thailand Economic conditions. HC445 P ISBN (soft cover) ISBN (E-book PDF) Typeset by International Typesetters Pte Ltd Printed in Singapore by Markono Print Media Pte Ltd 00 HistoryofThai-PrelimsIT-9P.indd 4

5 Contents Preface vii Acknowledgements xii Glossary xv Abbreviations xvii Siamese Money and Weight xix Reigns of the Kings of the Chakri Dynasty xx 1. Introduction 1 2. Bangkok 4 3. Central Region The North The South The Northeast Conclusion 379 Selected Bibliography 383 Index 403 About the Author HistoryofThai-PrelimsIT-9P.indd 5

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7 Preface A regional economic history of Thailand is important for a broad picture of the economic changes in the country for a number of reasons. First, most existing studies focus to a large extent on Bangkok and the economic progress of this city and the central areas. This is understandable. Bangkok itself, since its inception as Thailand s capital in 1782, has always been the most significant urban centre in Thailand indeed, the only city of considerable size in the country until the very recent period. Thus, Bangkok has been the centre of court and government, manufacturing production, consumption, finance and foreign trade, and a host of other economic activities. This has naturally induced historians to look mainly at Bangkok for significant changes in the Thai economy, and to ignore what is happening in the rest of the country. Again, there is a cultural dimension to Bangkok s centrality in the story of Thailand s economic development. Bangkok has traditionally been seen as the focus of social changes, and regional developments have been obscured by such an emphasis on the capital. Equally, many of the existing sources, whether records of government departments, newspapers, or descriptions by foreign travellers, all tend to pay attention primarily to Bangkok. Of course, Bangkok is a major part of the story of Thai economic development, and in this study Bangkok is given a prime place as one of the important regions of Thailand. But we also emphasize changes in the other regions, give importance to the ways in which Bangkok had an impact on the other regions, as well as how changes in the other regions affected Bangkok. vii 00 HistoryofThai-PrelimsIT-9P.indd 7

8 viii Preface Another reason for a regional approach to Thai development is that for much of the nineteenth and well into the twentieth century, the realities of communications and transport in Thailand meant the existence of quite separate regional economies. Certainly river transport linked many parts of the country, but away from the main river arteries, road transport was often non-existent and local specialization and regional commercial hubs were prevalent. Such regional economies often fall below the radar of studies whose focus is national rather than regional. We may reflect, for example, that until the close of the nineteenth century, links between the northern cities of Chiang Mai and Lampang were often more developed with Burma (through overland trade) than they were with Siam proper. In the South, the mining industries were linked with Penang and Singapore rather than with Bangkok. Regional diversity in raw materials, climate and soil, topography, access to the coasts or river communications, all encourage distinct regional economies to appear. Such distinct regional economies follow to some extent the major administrative regions which form the basis of much statistical material. Thus, Bangkok, the Central Region, the North, the Northeast, and the South, all to some extent display the main economic patterns which are our concern here. Of course, administrative divisions can only be a rough guide to economic realities, and although we shall use the main administrative divisions (inevitable since so much official material is based on these divisions), we will also note the occasions where different regional classifications seem appropriate. Any regional economic history of Thailand must place great weight on population patterns and agricultural systems. The broad distinctions between the sticky rice subsisting communities in the North and Northeast, and suay rice communities of other regions are fundamental to regional economic patterns as they developed. Thus, the subsistence crops affected work systems (such as communal methods of agriculture), the existence of export crops (sticky rice was never produced as a significant commercial crop), and the regional patterns of income distribution. Indeed, one of the main purposes of this study is to explore the origins of the regional inequalities in wealth and income that we see in the present day. It is a contention of this study that such patterns can be traced back to the nineteenth century and beyond. 00 HistoryofThai-PrelimsIT-9P.indd 8

9 Preface ix Finally, a theme of this study is to explore how the various regional economies were gradually drawn into a national economy. This involves looking at the evolution of administrative structures, the development of a national transportation network, and the necessary financial and other infrastructures that enabled a national economy to develop. Various major sources of the study come from the following: (1) Ministry Records from Bangkok National Archives The most important materials for a study of the book are from the National Archives in Bangkok. Of those following sources of documents were often quoted: the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of the Capital, the Ministry of Public Works, the Ministry of Agriculture, Office of the Prime Minister, and the Ministry of Communications. There still exist thousands of documents in the Thai language written of the economic basis of Bangkok since the second half of the nineteenth century. However, it was very difficult to read them all in a limited length of time of my research. Possibly, it would take several years. Therefore, an attempt was made to limit the task to an identification of all documents necessary for writing of this book. So many of the useful unpublished data remained unexplored and need to be analysed. Of the most important sources from the Bangkok National Archives cover a number of aspects of this study. Files from the Ministry of the Capital contain the following information: the population census, house and shop tax, the revenue which was collected by the Ministry of the Capital, the administration of Bangkok, especially the improvement of conditions of sanitation in Bangkok, report on the Chinese affairs in Bangkok and the provinces, the record of price of land in Bangkok, etc. Files from the Ministry of Agriculture contain the following: canal construction in the Central Plain, rural labour markets in the provincial areas, such as source of labour supply in rice cultivation, the methods of payment for hired farm labourers, wage rates for unskilled and skilled labourers, etc. Files from the British Consular Report contain information on regional production and exported trade from various monthons, the conditions of 00 HistoryofThai-PrelimsIT-9P.indd 9

10 x Preface work and income of migrant labourers, for example, Khamu workers in teak industry, shipping lines called at Bangkok Port, etc. Files from Office of the Prime Minister contain information on national highways construction programme and the inspection of ministers in the provinces. (2) Official Publications Besides the archival sources, important information were obtained from the Thai Government including Department of Post and Telegraph, Central Service of Statistics, Ministry of Commerce and Communications, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Office of National Economic and Social Development Board, and National Statistical Office. Department of Post and Telegraph s publication on the 1883 Bangkok Postal Census (sarabanchi) recorded the names of the residents (household heads) and their occupations and/or economic activities, social relation of masters and their corvee labour, ethnicity, type of houses, owner or renter status, and addresses classified by roads, ditch and irrigation canals, and clustered villages and river, the departments to which household heads were attached, the title and/or rank of household heads. The source is significant for understanding the economy and society of Bangkok in the latter half of the nineteenth century. Zimmerman s survey, Siam: Rural Economic Survey, , was published by the Ministry of Commerce and Communications. The first nationwide rural economic survey provides invaluable information on various aspects of rural households including incomes, expenditures, farm costs, marketing, regional problems, etc. Data from the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives on the 1953 Thailand Economic Farm Survey and Agricultural Statistics of Thailand provide information on household income and expenditures, cash and income in kind, agricultural production, etc. Data from Office of the National Economic and Social Development Board on Gross Domestic Product, Gross Regional and Provincial Product, and Income Distribution and Poverty Study provide information on national, regional and provincial economic development. 00 HistoryofThai-PrelimsIT-9P.indd 10

11 Preface xi Data from the National Statistical Office on the Population and Housing Census, the Labor Force Survey, Business Trade and Services Survey, Industrial Census, Agricultural Census, the Household SocioEconomic Survey, Statistical Yearbook of Thailand provide information on the structural changes in demographic situations, and the working conditions and changing economic conditions in Bangkok and the provinces, especially in the countryside. (3) Newspapers, Research and Theses Last but not least, other sources were consulted, including newspapers, such as The Bangkok Times Weekly Mail (in the early twentieth century), research and theses, especially in the field of provincial and regional history. 00 HistoryofThai-PrelimsIT-9P.indd 11

12 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am indebted to a number of individuals and organizations for their assistance with this study. I cannot mention all who have helped, but I particularly wish to acknowledge my debt to Professor Malcolm Falkus, Professor Emeritus, University of New England, Australia. He was not only my first teacher in the field of economic history, but also supported, encouraged and directed assistance in the preparation of this book. I also owe special thanks to Professor Chatthip Nartsupha, Professor Emeritus, Chulalongkorn University, who has provided constant encouragement in the preparation of this book. I would also like to thank Professor Kevin Hewison, Dr Francois Molle and Dr Thippawal Srijantr who provided me with data and materials. Thanks, too, are due to Professors Pasuk Phongpaichit, Michael Herzfeld, Thongchai Winichkul, Nicola Tannenbaum, Junko Koizumi, and Fumiharu Mieno who helped with sources, comments, ideas and encouragement. This book aims to bring together my various published and unpublished academic works, pursued for some 20 years, and such works are included here in the bibliography. In the course of writing this book, I had the opportunity to visit various academic institutes. In Japan, I undertook research at Kyoto University Graduate School of Asian and African Area Studies in June 1998 May 2000, and at Kyoto University Centre for Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS) in December 2003 May I am most grateful to these institutions and to Professor Yoshihiro xii 00 HistoryofThai-PrelimsIT-9P.indd 12

13 Acknowledgements xiii Tsubouchi and Professor Yukio Hayashi for inviting me. Special thanks are due to Professor Kaoru Sugihara (formerly at CSEAS), head of the project on Labour-Intensive Industrialization in Southeast Asia conducted under the Core University Program Kyoto National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT), who invited me to contribute a paper and attend workshops on a number of occasions. I am also indebted to Professor Kazuhiko Sugimaru of Fukui Prefectural University and to Professor Tadasu Tsumura of Kinki University who invited me to present papers for the international conference on Moral Economy of Africa from a comparative perspective. In Singapore, I was invited as a Visiting Senior Fellow attached to the ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute (formerly the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies) between August 2014 and January Here I had the opportunity to revise my manuscript and undertake additional research. I am particularly grateful to Mr Tan Chin Tiong, Director of the Institute, and to Dr Michael Montesano and Dr Terence Chong, coordinators of the Thai Studies Programme, for inviting me. In Thailand, I am indebted to several institutes for their assistance with research material while preparing this book: Bangkok National Archives; Bangkok National Library; Library of the Siam Society; and the Central Library of Thammasat University. The library staff were a constant source of help, and I would mention especially Khun Gritchya Rattanaprateep of the Central Library, Thammasat University. My thanks go, too, to Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University which granted me sabbatical leave in during which most of this book was written. The book was first published in 2015 in the Thai language by Chulalongkorn University Press. I am indebted to the Press reader whose insightful comments and suggestions were of great help in revising the manuscript for publication. The English version of the book could not be possible without the generosity of the ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute which gave financial assistance for the translation. I owe special thanks to Mr Tan Chin Tiong with the assistance of Dr Cassey Lee, who provided support and inspiration. I am most grateful to the helpful staff of the ISEAS 00 HistoryofThai-PrelimsIT-9P.indd 13

14 xiv Acknowledgements Publications Unit, especially Ng Kok Kiong, Catherine Ang Lay Kee, and Sheryl Sin Bing Peng. Last but not least, my thanks go to the staff at Chulalongkorn University Chalermprakiat Center of Translation and Interpretation who helped with this translation. Sole responsibility for the views expressed in the book, of course, rests with the author. Porphant Ouyyanont Bangkok October HistoryofThai-PrelimsIT-9P.indd 14

15 Glossary Amphoe District, administrative subdivision of province Chao Phraya The highest rank of the Thai ancient civil nobility Changwat or Changwad Province Chanot thidin Land deed denoting full title Chao Lord, ruler Hab A measure of weight equal to 60 kg Isan Northeast-region of Thailand Khlong Canal Krasuang Ministry Krom Government department Kwien A Thai capacity measure equal to 1,000 kg Luang Conferred rank, higher than Khun, below Phra Monthon Unit of provincial administration, one monthon contains a set of changwats Mueang City, town xv 00 HistoryofThai-PrelimsIT-9P.indd 15

16 xvi Glossary Nakhonban City administration Nai Roi Caravan trader or labour broker NS 5, NS 3, NS 3K, NS 3khor Land deed denoting occupancy rate SPK 4-01/NK/STK/KSN Land deed denoting right of utilization Phra Conferred rank, higher than Luang, below Phraya Phraya Conferred rank, higher than Phra, below Chaophraya Picul One picul equal to lb or 60 kg Rai Unit of land; 1 rai 0.16 hectare 1,600 square metres R&R Rest and Recuperation Suai Tax, especially tax in kind Tanon Road Tical European word for Thai baht Tumbon or Tambon Group of villages, official administrative subdivision under amphoe Wat 00 HistoryofThai-PrelimsIT-9P.indd 16 Buddhist Monastery

17 Abbreviations ACMECS Ayeyawady Chao Phraya Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy AEC ASEAN Economic Community BCR British Consular Report BTWM Bangkok Times Weekly Mail DORAS Development Oriented Research on Agrarian Systems ESCAP The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific EWEC East West Economic Corridor GDP Gross Domestic Product GMS Greater Mekong Subregion GPP Gross Provincial Product GRP Gross Regional Product ILO International Labor Organization kg kilogram km kilometre N.A. National Archives, Bangkok xvii 00 HistoryofThai-PrelimsIT-9P.indd 17

18 xviii Abbreviations NESDB Office of National Economic and Social Development Board NSEC North South Economic Corridor NSO National Statistical Office PRO Public Record Office TDRI Thailand Development Research Institute USOM United States Operation Mission 00 HistoryofThai-PrelimsIT-9P.indd 18

19 siamese money and weight A. Money: 800 bia 1 fueang 2 fueang 1 salueng 4 salueng 1 baht 1 satang 1/100 baht 4 baht 1 tumlueng 20 tumlueng 1 chang B. Expressed as decimals of baht: 1 bia fueang salueng.25 1 baht tumlueng chang 80.0 xix 00 HistoryofThai-PrelimsIT-9P.indd 19

20 Reigns of the Kings of the Chakri Dynasty Rama I Phra Phulthayotfa Rama II Phra Phutthaloetla Rama III Phra Nangklao Rama IV Mongkut Rama V Chulalongkorn Rama VI Vajiravudh Rama VII Prajadhiphok Rama VIII Ananda Mahidol Rama IX Bhumibol Adulyadej Rama X Maha Vajiralongkorn 2016 xx 00 HistoryofThai-PrelimsIT-9P.indd 20

The ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute (formerly Institute of Southeast Asian Studies) is an autonomous organization established in 1968.

The ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute (formerly Institute of Southeast Asian Studies) is an autonomous organization established in 1968. Reproduced from The Post-Colonial Security Dilemma: Timor-Leste and the International Community, by Rebecca Strating (Singapore: ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute, 2019). This version was obtained electronically